There have been a wide variety of orthopedic braces which have been proposed, and commercially utilized, to correct undesired conditions of the leg and/or foot of a user, particularly for infants and children. It is desirable in providing such a structure to have a strong construction yet still allow for a wide variety of adjustments of components thereof to accommodate and/or correct different conditions that the user may have, and to accommodate different lengths of the user's tibia or other parts of the user's leg. It is also desirable to accomplish these results with a device that is relatively light in weight and easily worn by the user, and easily shipped.
Heretofore, all of the above desirable characteristics and requirements of orthopedic appliances have not been provided in a single structure. However according to the present invention a tibial torsion splint is provided which has all the necessary desirable features.
The tibial torsion splint according to the present invention has a circular cross-section rod having first and second generally perpendicular portions, which comprises the main structure of the frame. The circular rod structure provides great strength and flexibility of use. The frame also comprises a pair of U-shaped clamps, with fasteners extending through portions of the clamps to engage the foot plate and leg support components, respectively. Release of the fastener associated with the clamp engaging the foot plate allows both external and internal adjustment of the foot plate, and in addition provides a very simple structure for controlling pronation and supination. The clamp and rod portion associated with the leg support component allows for adjustment of the position of the leg support component with respect to the frame to accommodate users having knock-knees or like conditions, and additionally provides a simple structure for adjustment of the spacing between the plate and the leg support to accommodate users having tibias of different lengths.
Also according to the present invention, the components are made of aluminum and therefore very light in weight, and have a streamlined design. The leg supporting component comprises a rigid right angle member with a strap assembly associated with each portion of the rigid right angle member. Each strap assembly includes a rigid arcuate portion which is actually connected to the right angle member, as by fasteners, and can be adjustably positioned along the length of the right angle member. Connected to the rigid arcuate member is a relatively wide strap which has a cushioning character (which may be provided by constructing the wide strap, at least in part, of a foam), and a narrow strap with fasteners holds the wide strap in the appropriate position on the user's leg. The narrow strap preferably comprises a single band of flexible material which has hook fasteners connected to one part of the band, and pile fasteners connected to the other, so that it can be passed through a D-ring and back on itself to fasten the strap in proper position.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a strong, streamlined, and versatile orthopedic appliance. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.